The Miraculous Masquerade
by Anonymous751
Summary: After a perfectly normal day at school, our heroes find a mysterious invitation. Based off suicunespurr's Miraculous Christmas Ball, this story focuses more on the actual party than the preparations, for soon obvious reasons. This is going to be a long one. Very long.
1. The prologue

_**A/N: This is based off the Miraculous Christmas Ball, but with different references. Purim is essentially the Jewish holiday of costumes and three cornered cookies. A Masquerade is a costume ball. The costumes are described as I think they should be, and are all at least MOSTLY my ideas or just common sense. Also, please correct me if you think I am wrong about anything in this story. As it happens, I am incredibly long winded and will definitely need help editing this down to size. I plan to cover the entire class, including Gabriel Agreste. I also REALLY like making costumes.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own most of these characters, as much as I would like to. I do own Iron Wolf.**_

The Miraculous Purim Masquerade, or The Crystal Ball.

It was the end of the day, and Adrien Agreste was looking forward to going on his nightly patrol with Ladybug, even if they were separate for a while."Don't forget to read pages 71 and 72 tonight!" Ms. Boustier called out as the class began to pack up. Suddenly, an ornate envelope appeared in Adrien's bag, right under the history textbook he had just put in. When he got home and started to do his homework, he noticed it as it fell out of his bag. He opened it and read:

_You, Adrien Agreste, are officially invited to the first annual Crystal Ball!_

_It will take place one week from this Friday. Please have a rough idea of what you want your outfit to look like beforehand, but arrive in casual clothes and shoes. This is a formal event, so make sure your costume fits the bill. Quite a lot goes, but if yours does not, it will be shifted slightly so that it will. Be as flashy as you like, we've got everything you need, no matter how outrageous it is._

_A mask will be provided that will take care of the rest. Formalwear and outside masks will not be permitted entrance, and will have to walk home. Transportation is provided and will be slightly magical and instant. Please refrain from telling your friends who were uninvited about this event, or this message will disappear and you will not be able to attend. To attend this event, just hold the message at the appointed time. Refreshments will be provided._

_A reminder about this event will appear on your phone on the day of the event, with the specific time included. Due to Advanced Illusion Magic, or AIM, all guests will arrive at the same time. The Masks will also portray your features as if they were on a stone slate, visible, but unrecognizable to any onlookers._

_Do not bring a date or extra person, as they will not be transported with you and will stay where you started. (Please note: The masks come off at twelve o'clock. No exceptions!)_

_A message from our patron to Ladybug and Cat Noir_

"_If you two transform and leave the message at home, you will still be able to attend. Same applies of you were fighting an Akuma earlier that will be sent to a waiting room where time as you know it does not exist with this message if you choose the door on the left, you will be sent back to where you were. If you are currently Akumatized or fighting a victim, that will not trigger until after you detransform. Your kwamis will have a separate room. Also, there's an akuma we'd like to get rid of, so please show up."_

_Good luck to all of you, and we'll see you there! (This event was sponsored by an anonymous patron)._

"Whatcha' reading?" asked Plagg, who, up until that point, had been stuffing his face with Camembert. "Looks pretty snazzy." he commented, choosing that moment to add "You should invite Ladybug, I'm sure she'd be happy to go with you." Adrien sighed. "I can't. It says she'd have to stay where we started, and I'm pretty sure she was invited too. Besides, it's none of your business, Plagg. You know my Dad would freak if he noticed I was gone for so long." "And if he didn't?" "What do you mean? He notices everything. You know that as well as I do!" "Won't your father be away on a business trip for all of next week?"

After reading his invitation several more times, Adrien realized that meant he could be fighting alongside his Lady for as long as he wanted-or until the Akuma was gone- and still make it to the party that night. He went back to his homework after realizing it was already 6:30, only half an hour from when Natalie would call him in to dinner, alone, as always. After he finished his homework, he read the invitation once more before hastily putting it away as Natalie knocked.

**The next day, after school.**

Marinette collapsed onto her bed after an exhausting and embarrassing day at school

"Oh, Tikki! Sometimes I just feel like nothing I do ends up going well. I tried to talk to Adrien again today, and I made an even bigger fool of myself than before! Now he probably thinks I'm a stuttering idiot!" Tikki giggled. "To be fair Marinette, around him, you kinda are! Besides, he could never think of you that way! He's way too in love with you as Ladybug to even have the idea." she said, mumbling the last part so Marinette didn't hear. As she sat up, she noticed an envelope sticking out of her bag. She opened and read it, and when she was done started talking to Tikki "The Crystal Ball? Have you heard of that before?" "No, I haven't. But it does say it's the first so far, so you might not come up with anything on the Internet." "Yeah, you're right. I better get my homework done before I have to patrol, though." Marinette said, noticing the late time.

**11:30 PM, Friday.**

Ladybug and Cat Noir sat at the top of the Eiffel Tower enjoying the view, and in Chat Noir's case, Ladybug's presence. Ladybug sighed. Chat Noir grinned, knowing he could easily drop another cat pun "Why so sad, M'lady? Catastrophic day?" She giggled, then continued. "Well, it wasn't that bad Chat, there's just a really mean girl in my class who really seems to have it out for me. This time she insulted me a lot more than usual, everything from my hair to my shoes." "Well, don't feel too bad about it. I think you look absolutely Purrfect!" She giggled again, this time not hiding the grin that came to her face "Thanks Chat. You always know how to cheer me up. Well, I'll see you tomorrow night. Bug out!" "It's time for this kitty to turn in too. See you tomorrow night!" as they raced off toward their respective homes, they were both thinking the same thing. _I hope Adrien/Ladybug is going to that Ball!_


	2. Chapter 1

**Friday, the next week.**

An Akuma had attacked earlier that day, interrupting class even before * could get them started on physics. As Adrien collapsed onto his bed, exhausted after a long day of combat, his phone beeped. When he checked it, he remembered the masquerade, as intended and started thinking about what he was going to wear. He eventually decided on an outfit that would make him look quite resplendent, almost like a prince. Black dress pants, black gloves, a ruffle collar white shirt under a revolutionary era general's jacket -also black-, smooth gold epaulettes on the shoulders with a red rose in the chest pocket. Marinette decided on a frilly yet functional, poofy red and black dress, with the red and black intertwining across the torso in a spiral, beginning at the base of the dress and ending at the not unfashionably low cut neck, although she was careful not to expose TOO much. Her shoes would be made for dancing and running, kind of like cinderella**. She would have a diamond tiara and red spotted gloves that went up to her elbows. Her sleeves would -hopefully- cover everything else up. Near 8:30 she went out on her patrol,and was surprised to see Chat Noir doing his as well. They both explained that they had somewhere to be at 9:00 and were trying to sneak in their patrols a little earlier than usual. Half an hour later, everybody who was invited held their invitations and got ready to go. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and they all found themselves in an immaculate room with two doors and a table with a box on it. All of them went over and opened the box, each finding the most beautiful mask they had ever seen. They all knew that it would compliment their outfits, as if each had been designed specifically for them. As they donned them, the teens gasped as their imagined costumes came to life around their bodies. They found that their costumes had worked out exactly as intended, and were perfect for them. Then everyone entered the door on the right, because there was no longer a door on the left. As Adrien entered the ballroom, he looked around to find around 50 other people emerging from doors similar to his, but only one costume caught his eye: a brilliant red and black swirl of a ballgown, the owner of which was wearing a diamond tiara that glittered in the light from the chandeliers. He tried to make his way over to her, but someone else pulled him to the side before he could get very far. "Do you like my dress, sweet prince?" A low, almost hypnotic voice asked. The speaker was clothed in a golden shift with slits down the sides, gems studded across the entire thing, and the wearer seemed to be very graceful. "Of course I do, it compliments your eyes!" he said halfheartedly, still looking for the girl he had seen earlier. Marinette had immediately wandered over to the snack table, even though she wasn't hungry, after the shock of arriving and the almost magical moment had passed. The table was empty with a sign saying: "_Not yet, you should dance first! We wouldn't want anyone to get too fat, now would we? Once it opens, this table has infinite stores of food! That's why it won't be opening for a while."_ A figure with the costume of a villain Ladybug had fought off a while back, approached her."May I have this dance?" "Of course, Monsieur…..?" "Robert. Did I mention that you look lovely tonight, m'lady?" Nathan said, trying to protect his identity as he wondered if Marinette was attending the ball."Not as good as you, I'm sure" She replied."No, not as good as me. Better!" Then the speakers announced "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Ozdust Ballroom! Please make your way to the dance floor, it's time to begin the main event of the evening: The Dancing! During the dancing and evening, we will somehow get you to your soul mate. We're still not quite sure how, but it seemed to work like a charm when we tested it. Do we know who your soulmates are? Not at all, in fact we have bets going where we are on who matches with who! Well, don't worry everyone, it'll work out in the end. Once you're sure you've found your soulmate, head to one of the side doors and take a balcony to a room. We have some foreigners and miraculous holders from different branches like the South-eastern Asia life and death branch, the one most of you know, the Parisian creation and destruction branch, and the New England time and space branch, the founders of this place and the employees, all of whom will be mingling with you and already are. Some of them are the wolf, the dove,the raven, and the red panda, all of whom are attending the ball, so we request you keep national holidays and religious celebrations to yourself. Hmm? Oh right, I almost forgot! The masks come off at 12:00! Enjoy the dance!" With that completed, the music started playing. First up was a square dance called Golden Slippers, another one called Waltzing Matilda, followed by Cotton Eye Joe, something they all knew. Later the slow dances started. Marinette paired up with Evillustrator to start, and waited until the middle of the dance to start a conversation. "Remember when they did the announcements earlier? They said you would find your soulmate by the end of the dancing. Who do you think yours is?" He responded with, "I'm not sure, but I hope it's you." She blushed, but soon another dance came on, and the couples broke apart and formed lines, most finding a new partner, but others refusing to leave their companions side. Soon one couple broke away from the dancing, a navy jumpsuit and a simple red dress, and headed outside onto a balcony, from which they then proceeded to disappear. They went back inside and found themselves in a lavishly furnished room, a sign on the entryway table saying "_If you wish to remove your masks, simply say "Mask off!" and it will reappear in your hands. Don't worry about things getting steamy, it's what the room was made for!(Well, you two don't really have to worry about that, but….) You'll find everything necessary in the bedside table. You two are the first couple of the night, so enjoy yourselves!_" "On three?" one of them said. A nod, and the count "One, two, three!" "Mask off!" Both of them gasped at each others identities, and Max found himself looking straight into Sabrina's eyes. They both started blushing, and both of them looked away as the sign changed in a flash of light "_Awwwwwwwwwww, so shy! Shoot, the sign is still on. Ther-"_ "How do they know what we're doing?" Max asked, gratefully looking around to see if there were any cameras. "I guess if it's their house, we have to play by their rules," Sabrina said "And we are NOT shy!" The sign flashed again, reading "_Really? Then I dare one of you to kiss the other in under three hours! If you can't, there are a bunch of movies under the TV._" "Alright fine. Three hours. Start the clock!" Max said, surprised at his own determination. Sabrina blushed again, seeing his confident, energetic side shine through. While she knew he would be perfectly able to, she was worried that she would be a bad kisser because she had never kissed anyone before, having spent all her free time waiting on Chloe. A foot away, Max had the same issue: he'd never kissed anyone before, too busy working on science projects to have any crushes. They both blushed one more time before Max asked "Want to watch a movie instead? I feel like it's a little too much right now." "Yeah, sure!" Sabrina agreed, happy he wouldn't find out just how bad a kisser she was, at least not yet. The sign flashed one more time, returning to the original message with one difference: The timer slowly counting away the minutes until eventually, they would have to kiss. They chose Beauty and the Beast, and after finishing it, decided to have a Karaoke competition, even though neither of them had done it before. They made their way through several playlists, ending up on the show's theme song. Sabrina sang Ladybug and Max sang Adrien, and at the end, ten seconds before the time ran out, he kissed her. It was amazing for both of them, and as they broke apart, the sign flashed again "_You lucky bastards! Ten more seconds and I would've won! Well, since I lost, ask me for something you want, anything at all. If I can, I'll grant it."_ Sabrina and Max didn't notice until finally, the sign flashed again, saying "_Tell you what, you two seem so happy to be looking into each others eyes, I'll leave you to it. This room is no longer under surveillance by the management, meaning you can do anything, and we won't see for the rest of the night. Have fun you two!_" The rest of that story belongs to the two involved


	3. Chapter 2

**Back in the Ballroom. No time has passed since Sabrina and Max disappeared(Magic!).**

As the next slow dance started, another couple left the room, having had a bad experience with that song before. After grabbing a quick drink, the two headed out to the balcony and, like the last couple, seemingly disappeared. They ended up in a simple room, with a TV, a king size bed, a couple of tables, some cabinets, and a sign saying "_Congratulations on finding your soulmate! Say "mask off!" to reveal whoever's under the mask. Check the bedside table if things get steamy, we have movies and mics under the TV, for if you really aren't comfortable yet, a meal will be delivered when it is needed, and you'll most likely be pleasantly surprised. Have a good night!_" One of this pair was wearing an orange feathered dress, almost like an upside down inverted peacock. The other was more traditional, a dark green velvet suit which was incredibly comfortable, so much so that he could have slept in it. "After you, mademoiselle!" he said, smiling easily. "Mask off!" she said "Your turn now, mister," "Mask off!" Alya gasped as Nino's mask fell into his hands. "Surprised to see me? I know you surprised me! I didn't even know you were here until you took off your mask, dude!" they stood in an awkward silence for a couple of seconds before Alya suggested a movie, the recent Ladybug and Chat Noir flick, a new favorite of hers, of course. As they watched the movie, Alya cuddled up against Nino, happy he had been the one she found. They fell asleep like that, exhausted after the dancing, even as the movie continued to play in the background.

**A/N: the next few chapters will be much shorter, but the later ones should make up for it.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Back into the ballroom, no time has passed since they left.**

Another couple breaks away from the dancing, this time to the refreshment table. Although they both claim they could dance all night, both of them have been proven wrong, because while their legs are among the strongest at their school, they don't dance. They each grab a drink, the guy grabbing some fruit punch and finding much to his surprise, that it's alcoholic, and the girl taking some apple juice. They get down to talking, and although neither recognizes the other **(you know how terrible people are at that in their universe**), they're both on the Francois Dupont High swim team, and are already dating somebody outside of here. The girl is wearing a shimmering aquamarine dress that reaches to her ankles, and the boy is wearing a red Hawaiian T-shirt and decide to head up, and walk to the balcony, you know the drill. They find themselves in a quaint room, small, but big enough not to hit your head walking, with a bed, two tables and a TV across from the bed. There's a sign on one of the tables saying: "_To remove your mask, simply say "mask off". Nobody else can do this for you, and everything you'll need, just in case, is in the bedside table. Enjoy yourselves, tonight is all yours!_" They read it, look at each other for a moment, and then one says "Three, two, ONE!" "Mask off!" Their masks fall into their hands, and they gape in shock as their SO, from the school swim team, from school stares at them. They both smile, one princess-like, one devilish. (**I'm not allowed to put anything else on here, but we all know they went MUCH further than the others. Then they went to sleep.**)


	5. Chapter 4

**We're back in the ballroom, you know the drill.**

The music stops, and the speakers crackle on: "Ladies and Gents, your feet must be exhausted after all that dancing! I know mine are! It is now time for the dinner. Eat up! You'll need all the energy you can get for later, no matter what you do.(hehehe) Enjoy!" A long dining table appeared in the room behind them, filled with different types of food, from Mashed potatoes to matzah, eggplant with provolone to pickles, hot dogs to steak, borscht to matzoh ball soup, but no pig or shellfish, as this was a jewish event. The seating arrangement is supposedly Boy, girl, boy, girl. Or that type of thing at least. Anyway, a girl dressed in a pink, spiky dress, and a boy in a soft, grey suit, ended up sitting next to each other. They got to talking, and although she was a great conversationalist, he didn't say much of anything during their conversation, preferring to listen to the sound of her voice. After dessert was done, she offered to take him outside, and he agreed. They went out to the balcony, and after a quick look around, headed in to find themselves in a room with a twin-size bed, a tv, and like always, two tables. The first table had a sign on it, saying. "_To remove your mask, say "mask off".There are pencil and paper under the bed, game controllers in the desk, and a bet going that you two won't kiss with your masks off for six hours. You win, you get anything you want, for tonight only. The timer is in the bottom right corner._" Immediately after she finished reading the sign, the girl in the spiky bubblegum dress said "Mask off!" The dress disappeared, revealing an Alix dressed in jeans and a pink t-shirt with "sk8 4 life" emblazoned on the front. "Well? Are you gonna take off your mask or what? I did, so you should too!" He stood there nervously as she glared at him "...Mask off." he said, and to her surprise, there was Marc, in a solid color T-shirt and jeans, blushing his most fiercely yet that night. "Marc?!" Alix gasped as she saw his face. She couldn't believe it was him. The quietest kid in their class, who always sat in the back, got decent grades, and wrote stories about superheroes had an actual personality! She didn't really have a crush on him, but she knew it could have been much, MUCH, worse. "Do you play video games?" He asked. She responded with a resounding yes, and challenged him to a game of Ultimate Mecha Strike III, her favorite. He accepted, albeit reluctantly, and before either of them knew it, five and a half hours had passed. Now that they were both having fun, she decided to ramp things up a little bit, and started making bets with him. The first one was that if she won, he would take off his shirt, and if he won, she would do the same(**because equality.**) When she lost, she instead bet a kiss against his shirt, which he lost, too uncomfortable to pay any attention to the game or her, but when he accepted the bet for his pants by mistake, he knew he HAD to win. Each game took 6 minutes, and he won the last one just barely within the given time eliciting a cheer from him and a good-natured groan from Alix, who knew that she really did have to kiss him. Thing is, now, she wanted to, and MIGHT have thrown that last game on purpose to do it. She ended up kissing him just as the time on the timer ran out, because each of them had taken bathroom breaks before the betting started. After that, they went to sleep, snuggled up against each other, slightly nervously, but all the same.

**Can you figure out how many games they played?**


	6. Chapter 5

**Back to the ballroom. The dinner is over now, and everyone is starting to play party games.**

Over at twister we have the dark prince, a girl in a short but beautiful purple dress, and a giant in a tux and khakis just barely too big. The prince spins, and calls out "Right foot red!" The giant obeys, and the prince calls "Left hand blue!" The girl in purple does it, and they keep playing for a while, but eventually the giant falls onto the girl in the purple dress after a call of "Right hand yellow!" as the prince and the purple dress laugh, the giant helps her up, apologizing profusely. "It's -heh- ok!" the girl says, still trying to control her laughter. The speakers crackled on. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you'll kindly gather in a circle, we're now going to play a full party game of Spin the Bottle! The masks will now only cover the top sides of your face until the game is over. The boy in the regal black costume will go first. Good luck to all!"

They gathered in a circle, the prince spinning the small glass bottle on the hardwood floor. When it stopped, it pointed to the girl in the yellow shift who had grabbed his arm earlier. She looked elated, he was a little disappointed. They kissed, and the game continued. The girl in the shift spun, and it landed on a boy in a bright orange costume, flames rising behind his head. This time, SHE was the one who was disappointed, though not as much as the prince had been. The boy spun and landed on the girl in the purple dress, to the giants dismay. They kissed, and the girl spun. The bottle slowed to a stop and somehow ended up pointing at the gentle giant. They kissed, and both knew that this person was the one. They stood up , the giant passing the bottle to the guy on his right, dressed in a costume of navy blue, forest green, indigo, and turquoise all blurred together on a black background, as if the suit was made of different sets of playdoh all mushed together. He spun, and landed on a girl in a sharp, silvery dress. They kissed, and a spark came to life, but they were too shocked to act on it. As the game continued, the giant and his friend walked out to the balcony, enjoying the night's breeze. They went back in to find a room filled with instruments, a couple tables of them actually, a chair or two, and a king size bed.

There was a sign and a remote on the first table, the sign reading "_You two like music, right? We did notice you keeping the beat during the dancing, you know. Use everything you want. You can take off your masks by saying "mask off" The remote is for the drop down tv, you can use it for karaoke if you want. There are board games in the closet in the back, too._" The girl in purple grabbed a tambourine and said "If you'll take a seat, I'll play you something!" he sat down, and she started playing, softly, at first, then getting more confident as she continued. She finished her song, took a bow, and then the giant stood, walked over, took the guitar, and said "You did great, but it's my turn now. Ready?" She sat down, he started playing, and halfway through, she started singing. When the song ended, they both just stared at the other in total silence, and then the giant took off his mask, revealing Ivan in a t-shirt like the one he usually wore, black with a skull, and cargo pants. The girl's jaw dropped, and she finally managed to take off her own mask. The expression on Ivan's face was priceless as he realized he was already dating his dream girl and soulmate. After a fun night of making music the two curled up in the bed and slept.

**A/N The next chapter is one my proof reader didn't like, but that's on them so we'll see how it goes. Right now I'm working on a chapter for Lila without an OC. The tricky part is that I have to write other things before it, and i don't feel like it. OC free stories FTW! Til next time, Anon 751**


	7. Chapter 6

**Back in the ballroom, the game is over, people are milling about.**

An unlikely couple end up talking, the girl the the golden, honey-like shift and the boy dressed as Evillustrator. When the boy feels himself getting just a little too warm, he tells her that he's going to step outside for a moment, and asks if she wants to join him. She accepts, and the two step out onto the balcony. After spending just enough time out there to feel the chill, the two of them headed back inside, eager to see if their original partners had been taken. Once they stepped back in, one of them gasped at the beauty of the room they'd walked into, and the other just waited, shell-shocked out of talking. The incredibly opulent room was painted a soothing peach, in sharp contrast to his suit, but blending well with her shift. There is a king size draped bed, a TV, a singular table, a couple chairs, an easel in the corner, and a large cabinet, all designed to stand out against the room's walls, but not be too irritating on the eye. On the only table, there was a sign reading "_Welcome to the semi-luxury suite! We invite you to please remove your mask by saying the words "Mask off!" Our staff has a disagreement about you two, half of us think you will not be able to find the courage to kiss each other with both parties willingly consenting, and the other half thinks you will. There is a timer with no specific limit, but once it reaches 3 hours, our disagreement will have been settled. Nothing in this room will leave this room through our systems, so while we will be able to acknowledge everything that happens in this room, we will not speak of it or contact anybody to show them. What you do with the knowledge of what happened in here is therefore up to you. Best wishes, The Management."_ After reading the sign, the girl in the shift just sputtered for a couple seconds, finally managing to get out "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! They don't even have room service!" The sign flashed, changing to read: "_As a matter of fact, this room and all the others like it have the best room service in the world, Magical room service. If you know how to ask, we'll give it to you. We monitor everything to best suit our guest's needs. Please refrain from insulting the staff or place, as you might find your night turned into a living hell._" For the first time in this room, the boy spoke "We really appreciate the room you gave us, and we meant no offense to any of you. Let's just forget this whole thing happened and get on with our evenings. I believe we were about to take off our masks? I'll go first. Mask off!" His Evillustrator costume melted away to reveal Nathaniel, who was already starting to regret taking his mask off. "Mask off!" The girl said, breaking into his thoughts as Chloe Bourgeois came back to the surface of her costumes glamour. Then Nath really started to sweat as he realized that he was alone in a room with no apparent way out with his third, and current, crush. She might have blushed, just a little, when she saw him. She hadn't really pictured herself with anyone but Adrien, but now that she was, she almost liked what she was thinking about. He chuckled nervously, blushing, and after building up his nerve, asked her if she'd pose for him. Her answer was an immediate no, but he persisted, saying that all she had to do was watch TV or something, just stay still long enough for him to draw her. She reluctantly agreed, settling down after slipping a movie she liked into the player. He got to work quickly, and although you can't see it, you should know it was one of his best pieces yet. Once he was done, he settled down next to her and started watching the movie, which was a romantic favorite of hers. It wasn't often you would see this side of Chloe, and he was impressed by what he saw. A kind, gentle girl who was neglected by her mother and overly doted on by her father, ending up in what she showed people, a selfish, greedy, mean girl, when in reality, she just needed some love, parental or not. He put his arm around her, and she cuddled into him, almost unwittingly. She didn't know it quite yet, but he could give her exactly that. After the movie finished, they went to bed. Just before they did though, he kissed her gently. She didn't pull away, so he did it once more. Then they went to sleep, and shared a peaceful night.

**A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters, it brings out a side of Chloe that we know is there, but doesn't come out nearly often enough. Til next time! -Anon751**


	8. Chapter 7

**Back in the ballroom, you get the idea by this point.**

One thing that Hawkmoth noticed tonight was a strange lack of negative emotions. Did they have the power to force everyone into positivity? Maybe. It didn't seem to bother him as much as it should have, but he wasn't sure why. He was dressed in a rich yellow suit not unlike the sun, with a white shirt, his miraculous on, and a silver wing pattern against his back. He cut quite the figure, imposing his presence on everyone he met, only rivaled slightly by a woman in a smooth black dress with golden wings on the back, her mask blending in with her hair, which was as dark as night. The difference between the two of them was like Sun and Moon, she was almost maternal as she conversed merrily with the youngsters, whereas he was more reserved and rarely opened his mouth. Suddenly the roof split open, snapping him out of his reverie as the night sky filled with the vision of stars so far away, they might never be colonized until the next species came along. The lady in the black dress sidled up next to him and commented "The stars make you feel so small, don't they. Our problems seem tiny in comparison to the heavens." He shook his head. "Not only our problems, the solutions, too. Something might mean everything to you, and nothing to me." She pondered this for a couple seconds, before finally replying "I suppose that's the reasoning behind love. We try to make other people accept us, problems, solutions, and everything else, too." He nodded, satisfied with her answer. He invited her out for a walk after a couple of minutes of silence, even from the teenagers, which he knew wouldn't last. Even as they were stepping out, a floating disco ball was descending, and speakers were starting to appear all around the room. A large table started to rise from the floor, but that was all he saw. As he moved down the path, he felt like he was going to end up back inside, but when he tried to go back in, he found them at the far end of the garden. A statue of his dead wife waited for him there, with a note in her hand. It was obviously old, from a couple weeks before her death most likely. He read it, and sat down. Then he started crying, softly. All it had said was, "I forgive you. While I'll always remember you and the days we spent together, but you and I both need to move on now." A newer note was next to it, reading "PSA from the staff: try the lady next to you, but give it time once you take off your masks by saying mask off. You'll both need it." As he sat there, the man decided to do the single most impulsive thing he had ever done. He cried "Mask off! Nooroo, I renounce you!" And removed the butterfly brooch from his suit after he dropped his mask to the ground. Then he sat back down and kept crying, and crying, and crying. He finally stopped after the woman next to him had sat down, put her arm around his shoulders, and comforted him for several minutes. Somewhere in the middle of that time, she had removed her mask, leaving Nathalie, his secretary, beside him. The next hour or so was spent in a comfortable silence before he got up and plucked a White Lily from the garden and tucked it behind the statue's ear. He then did it again, this time rewarding the flower to the lady who had always been his greatest supporter, the one who had raised his son when he could not, the one who had finally, finally been able to soften the blow of Emilie's death. They headed back inside to a generic hotel room, and slept together with smiles on their faces throughout the night. Nooroo headed back to the Agreste mansion, where he grabbed the peacock miraculous and returned his own to the box it came in. Then his box was teleported to the Miracle Box. The Peacock miraculous went to the Miracle Forge for repairs.

**A/N: My test reader didn't like this for some reason. Maybe it's not the best ship, but this guy has been through too much to not give him a happy ending, even if he doesn't know it yet. I don't know if his wife can come out of that coma, but I don't think so. The Miraculous can heal, but can the wielder? One thing I noticed after the Feast episode was that the temple of the miraculous came back, so now there are canonically more miraculous, right? They refer to multiple Miracle Boxes in the episode, so I think so. 'Til next time! -Anon751**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: My rights to MLB and Wicked, not to mention The Rambling, were taken away by a flying monkey, and now they're locked in a deck of cards!**

**You know where we are, not much time has passed, and the new DJ is about to make an announcement.**

As the party continues, another song ends, and the DJ puts on some background music and then starts announcing "Well everybody, it's been a great night so far, right?" after an enthusiastic response, they continue "So, who's up for a little competitive singing? I know I am!" They all cheer, and start dividing into teams. "Woah, woah, woah! No teams until you pick the judges first. How about you, in the sunset colored empire dress? And you, in the dragon costume! And one more, how about… the one in the turquoise robes?" After applause from the competitors, they're split into teams of seven and eight. Each side elects a leader, who'll be going first, on one side it's a male in a black suit with a crown, on the other a radiant crystalline blue princess, like Cinderella. They each tell the DJ their songs and the boy in the suit bows, saying "Ladies first, miss...?" "Aurora Boreal. And your name is?" "Aladdin. But call me Al." The DJ breaks in "So, have your teams decided on a name yet? Better be quick, we're starting soon." After consulting their teams, the captains return and tell the DJ their team name and he puts them on a screen with their points. A brief silence passes as they realize that the teams both named themselves after Paris's superheroes, The Chat Noirs and The Ladybugs. Then everyone breaks out laughing except for Marinette, she just giggles nervously. Then Aurora starts her song, and the room quiets once again. As she sings, she begins to open up to the audience, and her voice grows more confident, stronger and more rich. When she's done, the judges give her an 8, a 9, and a 7, resulting in a score of 24 points. Then the prince begins, and again the room goes silent, this time in awe of how bad at this he is. He stops halfway through, too embarrassed to finish. Needless to say, he gets a zero. After quite the rough start, the boys team manages to pull itself out of the fire by sending up a boy in denim jeans and an indigo polo. He sings beautifully, and a couple of the girls blush multiple times, especially one in a sea green modern royal dress. Once he's done though, his voice is terribly hoarse, and he can't really talk. The girls elect to send up a young lady in a pink ball gown, and she sings pretty well, though not as well as the last girl. After his embarrassment in the first round, "aladdin" went to the back of the group and stayed there for a bit before wandering over to the refreshments table to get a drink. While he was there, the girl he had sung against approached him. "I'm sorry if I made you look bad, but I just couldn't help myself!" He laughs a little, then smiles "It's alright. I would have done that anyway, it was my first time performing for anybody I didn't know" Once he says this, she blushes even more than she already was, feeling guilty for making him look so bad on his first try. He sees her blushing and mistakes it for something else, asking her "Would you like to get some air? Are you ok? You seem flushed." "I'm fine, just a bit tired is all! I would like some fresh air, though. It's a little stuffy in here." They head out of what they think are the main doors and end up on a balcony smaller than the doors they left through. The boy is a bit concerned at this development, and suggests they head back inside. When they do, they find not the ballroom, but a baby blue room, with a sign on the wall, but nothing else. They look around in confusion before reading it "_To decorate this room, all you need to do is ask for something. For instance, if you wanted a neon green couch, you would ask "Can we have a neon green couch?" We would then give it to you, and change the wall color to something more suiting it. If you'd like to take off your masks, simply say "Mask off!" You can ask for nearly anything, but try not to be too weird. We also won't allow you to spy on anyone at this ball, so think carefully._" The girl started to say "Mask off!", but she wasn't able to finish before the guy asked her to keep the mask on. "I don't really want to get to know you if we'll only be together tonight." The sign flashed, reminding him that she was his soul mate and they would be happy together for a long time. He acknowledged this, but chose to ignore it, keeping his face and hers, covered. They started off by asking for a couch and a TV, a common set up overall. They started browsing Netflix and saw a show that made them stop in their tracks. The show was called "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir." They clicked on it, but there was only a message saying "No, we can't let you see this one. Sorry!" Next to it, however, there was another show, this one called "Miraculous: Tales of Dove and Alpha." They selected it and saw "Fine. You can watch this one." flash across the screen. They started watching, and were hooked halfway through the first episode, in which the miraculous holders are introduced and given their miraculous. They ended up watching the entire first season before their TV got the message "_It's 2:00 in the morning. GO TO SLEEP ALREADY! Don't worry, this show is on Paris2_ _Netflix._" They asked for a bed, washed up, and went to bed. After he was sure that his partner was asleep, Aladdin took one of her shoes, beautiful high heels made of crystal and asked for a replacement. He had a plan to find her when this was all over, but he didn't quite know how he would do it yet.

**A/N:I put Paris2** **instead of Paris because our world has that. And yes, the Cinderella/Aladdin thing was intentional. Especially the "Aladdin" part. Who should I do next? Til next time! -Anon751**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: My rights to MLB and Wicked, not to mention The Rambling, were taken away by a flying monkey, and now they're locked in a deck of cards!**

**Back in the ballroom, the singing is over, and the DJ tallies up the points.**

The scores are in, and neither team manages to scrape out the victory. The highest score was a 28, followed by a 27. These scores belong to a patron in a navy suit for "_Fairest One of All_", by the Spin Room, and a maiden in a white dress, respectively. The DJ asks for a round of applause for everyone who joined in, and as it's dying down, the stage explodes.

The DJ is sent flying across the room, landing painfully on his neck, seemingly breaking it. A young woman in a smooth lime jumpsuit and a witch's hat comes rushing over to him, crouching right next to Marinette. She shakes his shoulder, whispering to him something only they can hear. Then he gets up, offers her his hand, and proceeds to readjust his head. Everyone watching is horrified, but when he turns to face them, they all manage to relax. And then, they double-take. You see, this man is the scarecrow from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, or Fiyero. His mask was blown off by the explosion, so they very clearly see him grimace as he looks toward the lady in the witch hat. "Well, after THAT, I'm going to retire for an hour or two. I may be physically fine, but that was a shock, and my ears are still ringing. Now, please allow me the pleasure of introducing the amazing Miss Elphaba."

A silence settled over the crowd, but it didn't last. She was very quickly swarmed, and took off her mask so they could see he wasn't kidding. After several minutes of giving autographs to a crowd of mainly girls, she snapped, and flew over them to land on the destroyed stage. They calmed down.

The speakers crackled to life "Now it's time for Parsnit! A game of quick wits and forfeits, storytelling and magic. Anyone can Orate, but it takes a skilled player to make the story the one everyone lives alongside them, as them. If you wish to try your luck, step to the stage and take a deck. Once you've learned to play the game, tell a story, without shame. Our resident witch, who must be present for any duel, is Miss Elphaba, the Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland. Good luck! This time, you'll need it."

Another silence ensued, with the prince in black stepping forward to claim the first deck, followed by a man in a colourful getup reflecting his trade and personality. When all the decks had been taken, the prince challenged fiyero to a duel. They both started by drawing person cards, and Fiyero offered the first draw to the prince. The prince drew a card, but it wasn't a person, so he automatically lost the duel when Fiyero drew the Rambling Duke, a picture of a young man that had red spots on his cheeks, a beat up hat, raggedy clothes, and a painted on nose. Fiyero congratulated him on his first match, and asked if anyone else wanted to challenge him. When the man who had grabbed the second deck volunteered, they shook hands, shuffled each others decks and began.

The person cards were drawn, and again Fiyero drew the Rambling Duke "The Rambling Duke. Now there's a story that everybody wants to hear. A long time ago, the rambling duke was looking for something. He didn't know what, but he was looking for it all the same. He traveled to many places, and because he was still in school, he was kicked out of dozens of schools across the countryside, but he still hadn't found what he was looking for."

The man who looked like a neon rainbow-but somehow softer, like the colours were muted-drew the Mountebank. Instead of the card's classic rotund banker with his watch out, heading down the steps of his bank, the man was shown with a scoop in his hand and a white smock, standing in front of an ice cream cart on a bridge, smiling happily. The man swallows, and nervously begins to Orate. "The M-Mountebank was happy. He had just finished a hard days work, and was looking forward to going home for a good night's rest. His work was hard, but he was always happy at the end of the day because of the happiness he brought others. However, he himself was missing something, something he helped others achieve and grow, which was why he loved his job. He could see everyone being happy, and trying to find his own happiness was something he didn't plan on. So, where it counts, he was happy."

The man relaxed once he had finished, although he had let instinct take over at the end. There was applause, and the duel continued. Now they both had to draw Home cards. Fiyero drew first, and he drew the Worried Noble, The Magnificent Palace, and The Elderly Man. He cleared his throat and began "The Rambling Duke lived in a magnificent palace, with many more wherever he wanted. His parents worried about him, and while his mother forgave him for his many faults, his father was concerned that his son would amount to nothing. He always had a large fortune at his beck and call, and therefore lived rather opulently, not caring about the area surrounding him."

The walking rainbow chose the Quaint House, the Flourishing Town, and the Abandoned City. Feeling much more confident now that the first round was over he began: "The Mountebank lived in a comfortable home, with more than enough space for him to relax. In fact, there was so much space that another person could have lived alongside him without disturbing any of his things.

Once he got settled in at home, he relaxed on his bed before finally falling asleep with a light heart." Another round of applause shook the room for the two storytellers, who smiled, and drew their next cards.

Now came the Journey part of the duel, a series of 11 drawings until the story ended. Fiyero drew the first card and came up with the Dolly Witch, who in this case, had green skin and a black outfit. "The Dolly Witch. When the Rambling Duke reached the last school he would ever go to, he met someone incredible. There was a lecture being given about how animals should never talk, and the Dolly Witch had had quite enough of it. She caused a commotion that nobody knew was her fault, and stole the lecturer's example. She went to set it free in the woods behind the school, and while she was running, she ran straight into the Rambling Duke. He was too embarrassed to flirt with her at the time, unlike with most girls, and he helped her set it free." His card shimmered, and Fiyero stopped there, though he knew they wanted to hear more.

Then the ice cream man drew, and he drew the Fortuitous Feast. "The Mountebank kept doing his job, bringing joy to everyone around him. Each day he served a near feast of food to dozens of people, each more excited then the last." There was applause after he finished, but it was clear that he was losing, perhaps not as badly as the guy before him, but still, losing.

Then Fiyero drew again, and this time the Red Bride turned up. He gulped, the only one in knowledge of her incredibly bad reputation for ending every story she found her way into, then took a closer look at the card and relaxed. It depicted an older lady in all green with a feather quill and a piece of parchment. Her expression was malicious, and he knew her well. "The Red Bride turned up a little later in this story, but every character needs some life to them. This Red Bride was a headmistress at her own school, and taught a sorcery class all her own before retiring from her teaching career. She was a mortal enemy of the Rambling Duke later, but for now, they were acquainted, if not at all close." With that, he shuffled the card back into his deck.

The Mountebank's player chose the Forlorn Maiden, who had blueberry hair in pigtails, pitch black earrings, and baby blue eyes. He knew this was his chance to turn the game around "The Forlorn Maiden came up to the Mountebank one day looking very sad. The Mountebank offered her a treat to cheer her up, but she didn't want it. The Mountebank insisted, knowing it would be exactly what she needed to cheer her up. He even offered it to her free of charge, as she was very obviously thinking about a special someone, but still she declined. When she finally accepted, it was knocked from her hand by a passerby. When the Mountebank tried to give her another, she refused, sure she could not have one. She was wrong in the end." He did manage to bring himself back into the game, but he couldn't get ahead. Not yet.

Fiyero drew again, and turned up The Forlorn Maiden, who was a blonde, curly-headed girl in a white dress."The Rambling Duke met the Forlorn Maiden shortly after he met the Dolly Witch. The Maiden could get anything she wanted, because she was beloved by the masses, and what she wanted now was the Rambling Duke himself. She tried to get him for a long time, even saying they were engaged to make him hers, but his heart belonged to the Dolly Witch."

The Mountebank drew again, and got The Persistent Mastermind, a guy in a purple suit with a cane and a grey mask over his head. "The Mountebank felt his heart break when the maiden declined his second offering. He knew that he was meant to share his art with everyone! So when the Persistent Mastermind contacted him, he didn't refuse the offer of near unlimited power in exchange for two earrings and a ring." The crowd gasped, not believing their ears. Had he just admitted to being an Akuma?

Fiyero drew again and came up with The Deep, Dark, Caverns. "When the Rambling Duke escaped the Maiden's iron clutches, he took the Dolly Witch with him. They fled to the Deep, Dark, Caverns, where they slept together for the night. That night was probably the best one in the Rambling Duke's life." Everyone who heard him shed a tear, or, in many of the girl's cases, several.

Then ice cream face drew the Epic Duel card, depicting a giant ice cream monster fighting a teen in a black leather cat getup. "When the Mountebank accepted the Mastermind's help, he transformed. He grew, and grew, and grew as his ice cream flew to his body, making him more bulky, but giving him the ability to shoot ice cream from his hands and freeze people. He was a bit sentimental, so he always spared couples. Then someone else showed up, a boy with the power of destruction and absolutely terrible luck. The Mountebank forced him to abandon the fight until he could get support using range and charged, but try as he might, never quite caught him." An "Awwwwwww!" of disappointment rose from the crowd as they realized his turn was up.

Fiyero drew the Endless Dunes, an apparently endless desert with a dust storm on the card and two sets of tracks heading into it. "The Rambling Duke and the Dolly Witch headed into the desert together after they faked the Dolly Witch's death. The journey was long, and by the time they had finished they were both exhausted. They eventually emerged from the desert into a field of corn that seemed to stretch on for just as long as the dunes did, but everything there was gray. Utterly and totally gray." As he was talking, a deep silence had fallen, and in the silence, everyone found a shoulder to lean on. Nobody would, or could, break it. Then the card shimmered, and the spell he had set on the audience was gone. Life flowed back into tired limbs, and nodding heads rose once more.

Then the mountebank drew his next card. Before he could start Orating, Fiyero rose and shook his hand, conceding defeat before the game was over. The Mountebank had really reached into the heart of one audience member in particular, a woman in a purple and black dress with light green leggings and heels. As a hard working woman, she could appreciate his dedication. They left as the girl in the red dress with spots half swooned into the prince in black, distracting nearly everyone else. They both started at the sudden impact, and both their faces turned bright red, even through the masks. Then they started stuttering over their words, and the girl quickly ran off. Neither of them got a good look at the other, so they didn't notice when they bumped right back into each other. "Have you seen- after you- no you first- I insist" they chorused, before breaking into comfortable laughter. The prince finally said"No, I haven't. Sorry to disappoint, princess." And vanished into the crowd. She immediately forgot what he said. Mostly because the scarecrow and the witch were high-tailing it out of the room with a mob of girls at their heels.

**A/N: 1: Write your own fluff. 2: I absolutely will not be doing that again, because it took AGES to do, and I finally just had to end it. 3: On a brighter note, this chapter wasn't too MLB focused, so my brain got a break. I understand that this chapter is a bit of a crossover, but there are only a couple of chapters like that, all for different things, so I couldn't put it in the crossover section properly. Not to mention, the fanbase for half of them don't really exist or visit, so nothing is set up. I'll release the next chapter when the one after it is done. Til next time! -Anon751**


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